This invention relates to engine tappets or lifters, and more specifically, to a form of mechanical tappets including roller ends and methods of manufacture thereof.
In an internal combustion engine, the tappet is a well-known device and is also commonly referred to as a lifter or valve lifter. For examples of common forms of tappets, see xe2x80x9cAutomotive Mechanicsxe2x80x9d (10th Ed.) by William H. Crouse and Donald L. Anglin, McGraw-Hill (1993), ISBN 0-02-800943-6 at pp. 131, and 169-170; xe2x80x9cPower Secretsxe2x80x9d by Smokey Yunick and Larry Schrieb, S-A Design Books (1989), ISBN 0-931472-06-7 at pp. 76-80; Regueivo U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,445,119; 5,638,783; and 5,682,849; and Koerner U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,860,398 and 5,947,069. The disclosures of U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,860,398 and 5,947,069 are incorporated by reference herein.
FIG. 1 depicts a typical tappet application for a push rod engine. In general, a lifter or tappet interacts directly with a rotating camshaft in the engine""s valve train. That interaction begins the chain of events that converts the rotary motion of the camshaft into the reciprocating motion of the engine""s intake and exhaust valves. The amount of horsepower generated by an engine is related to how efficiently the valve train operates. Indeed, it is common knowledge that of all the adjustments that can be made to an internal combustion engine, adjustments to the valve train have the greatest impact on increasing horsepower.
In general, the more efficiently air enters and combusted gas exits an engine, as controlled by the opening and closing of the intake and exhaust valves, the more horsepower the engine will produce. xe2x80x9cLifting,xe2x80x9d or opening the valves as high and as fast as possible, and closing the valves as fast as possible, are necessary to obtain efficient air and gas flow, and to achieve optimum horsepower. xe2x80x9cHigh liftxe2x80x9d is generally obtained by designing a camshaft having aggressive cam lobes with steep flank angles. Consequently, in high-performance applications, a tappet must be able to reliably negotiate the contour of an aggressive cam lobe at extremely high rpm""s. In addition, the tappet must be durable and capable of withstanding extreme frictional forces and high valve spring pressures.
Push rod-type internal combustion engines typically use one of four types of tappets or lifters: the flat mechanical tappet, the mushroom tappet, the roller tappet, or the hydraulic tappet. Each of these types of tappets or lifters is discussed briefly below.
The single piece, flat mechanical tappet is inexpensive, simple to produce, and reliable in stock environments, and has been the industry standard for years. In high performance applications, however, the flat mechanical tappet has several limitations. First, the flat mechanical tappet requires an extensive and detailed break-in procedure. The break-in procedure typically includes: (1) polishing the lifter foot without disturbing the contour of its convex foot; (2) coating the camshaft lobes with a high performance lubricant; (3) preheating the engine oil before starting the engine, (4) installing light weight valve springs; (5) starting and running the engine for about thirty minutes at about 2500 rpm""s to ensure that adequate oil circulation is present in the valve train, and that the tappets are broken in slowly; (6) after shutting down the engine, installing the proper valve springs. This tedious process is necessary to obtain optimum performance from both the tappets and camshaft. Second, mechanical tappets do not work well in high performance applications using aggressive camshafts characterized by lobes having steep opening and closing flanks.
The xe2x80x9cmushroom tappetxe2x80x9d was developed in an effort to address some of the limitations of the standard mechanical tappet, particularly for use with aggressive cam shaft designs. The mushroom tappet uses a foot with a larger diameter than the body of the tappet, which allows it to more easily negotiate the steeper flank angles of aggressively designed cam lobes. However, several drawbacks are also associated with mushroom tappets. First, before a mushroom tappet can be used, the engine block must usually be machined to ensure adequate clearance with the enlarged tappet foot. Second, the enlarged mushroom tappet foot requires that the tappet be inserted and removed from the bottom of the engine block, thereby complicating repairs or maintenance on the valve train. Third, even the mushroom tappet is characterized by relatively high friction rates requiring significant lubrication.
Moreover, all mechanical tappets are designed to rotate in their bore. The rotation is induced when the convex surface of the lifter foot is in contact the tapered, rotating, cam lobe. The rotation of the lifter or tappet in its bore is necessary to avoid prematurely wearing the lifter foot and cam lobe. However, several additional disadvantages are associated with tappet rotation. First, as the lifter rotates, considerable friction is generated between the surface area of the inside diameter of the lifter bore and the surface area of the outside diameter of the lifter body. Thus, mechanical tappets have relatively high friction rates that often require extensive modifications to the engine to increase the oil flow to the cam lobes and upper valve train in high-performance applications. Secondly, because mechanical tappets rotate, the use of xe2x80x9cRev Kitsxe2x80x9d (discussed below) has not been successful. Third, because the entire mechanical lifter rotates, it is not possible to use an offset push rod cup, which is often needed to gain additional push rod/cylinder head clearance in some applications. More specifically, offset pushrod cups are typically used in applications where the intake ports of the engine block have been bored to a larger size thus sometimes creating a less than zero clearance between the push-rod and engine block.
To reduce the adverse effects of friction between the tappet foot and cam lobe, it is highly desirable to make mechanical tappets that are both light and strong, thereby reducing friction. However, the tappet must still be strong enough to withstand the extreme pressures exerted from the valve springs and cam lobe, and durable enough to withstand the rotational forces between the cam lobe and cam foot. As a result, many types of lightweight, exotic, and expensive materials have been used to fabricate tappets. The optimum solution is one that would be able to utilize two different metals in the lifter. This would make it possible to use one type of metal for the lifter body, and one type for the lifter foot. However, the typical one-piece design of a mechanical tappet dictates using the same material for the entire lifter body.
The xe2x80x9croller tappetxe2x80x9d was developed in large part to overcome the many disadvantages of the mechanical tappet. Roller tappets reduce friction between the cam lobe and lifter foot, thereby reducing lubrication requirements. Thus, roller tappets are desirable in high performance applications, as they can maintain valve train stability at high rpm""s and aggressive camshaft designs. However, they likewise have several drawbacks.
First, many racing circuits do not allow the use of roller tappets. For example, one of the world""s largest racing circuits, the Winston Cup Series, prohibits the use of roller tappets. Second, to achieve optimum performance with roller tappets, it is necessary to install an anti rotational device and Rev Kit, thereby further increasing the number of valve-train components, as well as the likelihood of failure. If failure occurs in a roller tappet, typically the results are instantly fatal to the engine.
A fourth common form of lifter is a hydraulic lifter. Hydraulic lifters have several advantages over both mechanical lifters and roller lifters. Hydraulic lifters automatically compensate for any clearance changes caused by temperature variation or wear. Thus, they should never need adjustment. Also because there is no clearance between the lifter foot and the cam lobe, hydraulic lifters are extremely quiet while in operation when compared to both mechanical or solid lifters. Mechanical or roller lifters need to have some clearance or xe2x80x9clashxe2x80x9d between the lifter foot and the cam lobe to act as a cushion to allow for any tolerance changes due to thermal expansion or contraction encountered during repeated engine cycles.
However, hydraulic lifters also have some undesirable qualities. Hydraulic lifters are only as reliable as the cleanliness of the engine oil. Thus, if any dirt is present in the oil, the lifter will not compress or decompress properly, and valve and camshaft damage would soon result. Hydraulic lifters also do not work well at high rpm""s, because the lifters have a tendency to xe2x80x9cpump upxe2x80x9d as the rpm""s increase. In other words, as engine rpm""s increase, more oil is introduced into the oil chamber, preventing the lifter from compressing and decompressing, and adversely impacting the stability of the valve train. The result, is a loss of compression and horse power because the valves are held off their seats.
Thus, the need exists for a new form of lifter or tappet that combines the many advantages of the different types of lifters or tappets with little or none of their varied disadvantages. Thus, a need exists for a multiple piece, roller-type mechanical tappet for use in high performance applications and that is effective, reliable, and inexpensive to produce.
To meet the aforedescribed needs, a tappet was put forth by Koerner in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,860,398 and 5,947,069. Koerner discloses a tappet including a foot having a convex cam contact surface and an axially extending hub, a tappet body having a lower body portion with a lower axial bore formed therein to receive the axially extended hub of the foot, and a bearing assembly positioned between the foot and the lower portion of the tappet body. The Koerner cam contact surface operated in a frictional relationship with a cam lobe of a rotating cam. The frictional relationship between the cam lobe and the cam contact surface of the foot induces the foot to rotate about the centerline of the tappet. The Koerner bearing assembly operates to reduce friction as the foot independently rotates axially about a centerline of the tappet body.
The Koerner foot is removable from the lower bore in the tappet body. The Koerner bearing assembly comprises a lower race, an upper race, and a needle bearing placed between the lower race and the upper race. The foot includes a top flat surface formed to support the lower bearing race, and the lower portion of the tappet body includes a lower flat surface formed to contact the upper bearing race. The Koerner foot can be formed with a profile that matches a corresponding profile of the cam with which it cooperates.
The Koerner tappet includes a replaceable push rod receiver cup assembly supported by a top portion of the tappet body. The top portion of the Koerner tappet body includes an upper axial bore and a support shelf formed within the bore, and the replaceable push rod receiver cup assembly is supported on the support shelf within the bore in the top portion of the tappet body. The Koerner push rod receiver cup comprises a spacer and a mated receiver cup.
The Koerner tappet has certain disadvantages. One major disadvantage is that when the foot is towards the bottom of the tappet body the foot and the bearing assemblies are exposed outside of the casing. Another major disadvantage of the Koerner tappet assembly is that it requires the utilization of a retention screw between the hub and tappet body during the assembly to keep the foot from falling away from the tappet body. The removal of the retention screw can be bothersome and an inadvertent misplacement of the tappet screw within the engine could result in major damage to the engine. Additionally the tappet of Koerner is relatively complex in the amount of suffered parts which must be provided. It is desirable to provide a tappet which does not include these disadvantageous aspects of the Koerner tappet.
To make manifest the above noted and other desires the revelation of the present invention is brought forth. In its preferred embodiment the present invention brings forth a method of assembling a tappet which is set free from the requirement of a retention screw. In a preferred embodiment the present invention provides a tappet which has a foot with a cam contact surface. The foot has along an upper end an axially extending multi-diametered bore. The tappet of the present invention also provides a tappet body. The tappet body has extending therefrom an axial hub. The axial hub is also multi-diametered. A bearing assembly is positioned between the tappet body and the foot to reduce friction as the foot rotates axially about a centerline of the tappet body. In assembly the foot is either thermally expanded or the tappet body axial hub is exothermally contracted. The tappet body hub is then axially inserted within the axial bore of the foot. The hub or axial bore is allowed to return to room temperature creating a mechanical interlock which holds the tappet body and foot together. The foot can now have a height which allows the top end of the foot and the bearing assembly to always be positioned within the casing which is fitted within the engine block.
It is a feature of the present invention to provide a tappet having a foot with a cam surface and an axial bore formed therein. Additionally, the tappet has a tappet body having a body portion with an axially extending hub for reception into the axial bore of the foot. A bearing assembly is provided positioned between the foot and the tappet body operating to reduce friction as the foot separately rotates axially about a centerline of the tappet body.
It is another feature of the present invention to provide a tappet having a first member providing a foot with a cam contact surface and a second member providing a tappet body and an axially extending hub connected with one of the first and second members for interlocking extension into an axially extending bore of the other of the first or second members. A bearing assembly operation is positioned between the first and second members to reduce friction as the first and second members are separately rotated axially about a centerline of the second member.
It is another feature of the present invention to provide a method of assembling a tappet having a first member providing a foot with a cam contact surface and a second member providing a tappet body and a bearing assembly positioned between the foot and the tappet body to reduce friction as the foot separately rotates axially about a center line of the tappet body. The method includes extending from the first or second members an axial hub having a multi-diameter cylindrical surface with an enlarged portion within a multi-diameter axial bore of the other member by temporarily expanding the bore or contracting the axial hub to allow the hub to extend fully within the axial bore and then returning the axial bore or the axial hub to a prior dimension to form an interlocking relationship while still allowing the axial hub to rotate within the axial bore.
The above noted features of the present invention will become more apparent to those skilled in the art from a review of the invention as it is provided in the accompanying drawings and detailed description.